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BY RICHARD MARTIN |
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Jr. High, Death Cab for Cutie, crumb EJ's, 2140 NE Sandy Blvd., 234-3535 10 pm Friday, Dec. 11 Cover Like a hipper version of the equator, there's an imaginary line that separates rock bands into two hemispheres: one for those that are popular enough to do Gap commercials, and another for those that have to shoplift from Value Village. The musicians in the latter category can escape over the border by listening to the radio diligently, studying the techniques of the current hitmakers and borrowing liberally from their style to cash in. Some ingredients already need to be in place for this to work. The band has to have young members, preferably cute boys, and it has to write hooks so catchy they could make Saddam Hussein submit to a U.N. inspection. Crumb, founded by two strapping young San Franciscans, is a perfect candidate. The band's 1996 debut, Romance Is a Slow Dance, was a humdinger of a power-pop album. Vocalist Robby Cronholm poured his barely post-adolescent heart out while guitarist Mark Weinberg turned riffs into chewable candy. Released on Quincy Jones' Warner Bros.-affiliated Qwest, Romance did a slow dive, bottoming out after selling a few thousand copies. For its next album, crumb could have tried out the formula and gone for the money. But stubborn fellas that they are, Cronholm and Weinberg refused to add any ska, electronica, throaty growls or Pixies riffs to their sound. Recorded for Red Ant, the resulting album, ...seconds, minutes, hours..., sold a few thousand copies as well--evidently not enough for Red Ant, which recently dropped crumb. "I believe in this record," Cronholm says from his home in San Francisco, sounding completely unaffected by the run of bad luck. "It's a bright, shining pop record." Seconds isn't a true pop record, however. Like Cheap Trick, and the Posies before them, Cronholm and Weinberg revel not only in melodies but in a palpable sonic buzz that's punctuated with slash-and-burn rhythms (currently supplied by bassist Jim Bowser and drummer Mike Dugan). Songs like "Tonight," "Exhibit A" and "Record Company" all feature elements of the rock anthem, with loud guitars, booming bass and earnest, articulate vocals. Crumb's just as adept with the acoustic ballad ("Do You Remember?" which features ex-That Dog vocalist and violinist Petra Haden) as with the mid-tempo rock cut ("Not Again," which could almost be a Pat Benatar single). The band even recorded Seconds with heavy metal producer Beau Hill, who has worked with Ratt, and backing vocalist Jani Lane, of Warrant fame. Absent the exposure that crumb deserved, the band hopped in its van and spent much of '98 on the road. The experience opened Cronholm's eyes to the realities of the business. "There's so much great music being made, but MTV and radio will only play the top 20 songs," he says. "It all comes down to money." So why bother? "You go someplace like Hoboken, New Jersey, and 12 people will be singing all the lyrics right along with you," Cronholm says exuberantly. "That's the most fulfilling thing. You show up some place you've never been before, and someone knows and cares about your songs." Unfortunately for crumb, that someone isn't in a position to turn one of the band's songs into a major radio hit. After two albums on two major labels, Cronholm and friends are free agents, working on another record with the hopes of turning their careers into an endeavor that's as lucrative as it is spiritually fulfilling. Yet Cronholm is adamant that his band maintain its vision rather than kowtow to pop fads. "The thing with the Smashmouths of the world," he says, "they've got
that kitsch thing going on--the sort of reggae-influenced, drum-machine
vibe, where the singer sort of raps the verses. We don't have a gimmick.
It may not be the most popular thing, but we're a rock band."
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